I Tried Selling on Tiktok Shop for 1 Week - My Honest Results

Summary

In this video, Trev Peterson, an experienced online seller, shares his one-week experience with TikTok Shop. He discusses the learning curve, the setup process, and his initial sales results. After failing to generate sales through organic content, he experimented with paid ads, which eventually led to $800 in revenue but at a loss due to high ad spend. Peterson pivoted to an affiliate strategy, which yielded better results with a single video generating $364 in revenue. He concludes with a pros and cons analysis of TikTok Shop, highlighting its potential, the importance of content, and the unpredictability of relying solely on viral videos for sales.

Takeaways

• 😀 Trev Peterson, with eight years of online selling experience, recently ventured into TikTok Shop and shared his one-week experience.
• 🔍 The learning curve for TikTok Shop was not as steep as other platforms, but it still required time and effort to set up and understand the system.
• 📈 Trev manually created product listings rather than using paid tools, taking a few hours to import all products and learn the platform.
• 🎯 TikTok Shop's ad account setup was seamless and appreciated for having everything in one place, unlike other platforms.
• 🚀 Organic content strategy did not yield sales for Trev, highlighting the need for a paid strategy to gain traction.
• 💰 After one week, Trev made $798 in revenue, which was considered a modest start compared to his initial weeks on other platforms.
• 📉 Trev spent $500 on ads with only six conversions, resulting in a high cost per acquisition and a loss-making scenario.
• 🤝 The introduction of an affiliate program turned the tide, with one affiliate video generating $364 in revenue, a more profitable strategy than ads.
• 📦 Shipping and logistics were identified as a significant challenge, with fulfillment not as seamless as on platforms like Amazon.
• 📉 Despite the revenue, Trev ended up with a net loss of $120.4 after accounting for ad spend, product costs, and affiliate fees.
• 🔑 Key takeaways include the potential of TikTok Shop for brand diversification, the power of the affiliate program, and the unpredictable nature of viral content.
• 🚧 The cons highlighted were the need for time investment, the complexity of shipping logistics, and the unpredictability of profits, especially in the early stages.

Q & A

Who is Trev Peterson and what is his background in e-commerce?

Trev Peterson is an experienced e-commerce seller who has been selling online for the last eight years. He started with Shopify and Drop Shipping, moved to Amazon, and in the last 12 months, he achieved over 1.3 million in sales on Amazon and six figures on his Shopify website.

What is the main goal of Trev's video?

The main goal of Trev's video is to share his one-week experience with TikTok Shop, analyze what worked and what didn't, and provide a pros and cons analysis to help viewers understand whether TikTok Shop is worth trying.

What was Trev's initial strategy for TikTok Shop?

Trev's initial strategy was to start with organic content by uploading videos to TikTok, tagging his products, and hoping the videos would go viral to generate sales without having to pay for traffic.

How much revenue did Trev generate in his first week on TikTok Shop?

In his first week, Trev generated $798 in revenue from TikTok Shop.

What was the outcome of Trev's organic content strategy on TikTok Shop?

Trev's organic content strategy did not work as he did not generate any sales from it.

How much did Trev spend on ads in his first week on TikTok Shop?

Trev spent $500 on ads in his first week on TikTok Shop.

What was the result of Trev's ad spend in terms of conversions and cost per acquisition?

Trev's ad spend resulted in six conversions with a very high cost per acquisition, leading to a loss as he was spending more than he was making.

What was the turning point for Trev in terms of sales on TikTok Shop?

The turning point for Trev was when he started an affiliate program, offering 15% commissions to affiliates who promoted his products. One affiliate's video started to gain traction and generated $364 in revenue.

What was Trev's net profit after considering all costs and revenue in his first week on TikTok Shop?

After considering all costs, including ad spend, product samples for affiliates, and affiliate fees, Trev had a net loss of $120.4 in his first week.

What are some of the pros Trev identified with TikTok Shop?

Some pros Trev identified with TikTok Shop include its newness and potential, the ability to diversify revenue streams, the powerful affiliate program, the viral effect of content, adding brand value, and the importance of content creation.

What are some of the cons Trev identified with TikTok Shop?

Some cons Trev identified with TikTok Shop include the learning curve, the need for time and effort to set up, complications with shipping and logistics, unpredictability of viral content, the necessity of profitability, and the fact that not every product will work well on the platform.